2000
#13,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Wiltse
Derived from a place name meaning "willow tree" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near willows.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,359 Americans carry the last name Wiltse. That puts it at #14,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 145,296 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wiltse surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 145,296
Census rank
#14,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,057 bearers of the surname Wiltse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiltse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wiltse
The surname WILTSE originates from the Netherlands, specifically the province of Friesland. It is derived from the Dutch words "wilte" meaning "to wilt" and "see" meaning "lake," likely referring to a geographic location where the surname originated. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Wiltsee" in the 17th century.
The name WILTSE can be traced back to the village of Wiltse, located near the town of Leeuwarden in Friesland. This village was mentioned in historical records dating back to the 13th century, suggesting that the surname may have existed even earlier. The name was also found in the Dutch census records of the late 16th century, indicating its widespread use at that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname WILTSE was Jan Wiltsee, born in Leeuwarden in 1612. He was a merchant and trader who traveled extensively throughout Europe and the Netherlands. Another notable figure was Pieter Wiltse, born in 1685, who was a prominent member of the Dutch Reformed Church in the city of Haarlem.
In the 18th century, several members of the WILTSE family emigrated to the American colonies, particularly in the areas of New York and New Jersey. One such individual was Johannes Wiltse, born in 1725 in Friesland, who settled in Dutchess County, New York, in the mid-1700s. His descendants went on to become influential members of the local community.
During the American Revolutionary War, a soldier named Hendrick Wiltse served in the Continental Army under General George Washington. He was born in 1748 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the WILTSE surname was Reverend John Wiltse, born in 1798 in New Jersey. He was a respected Presbyterian minister and served as the president of the Newton Theological Institution in Massachusetts from 1839 to 1857.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wiltse
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiltse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Wiltse bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Wiltse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,853
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 88
- Two or more races3.7% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wiltse
Wiltse appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,131
-19 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,041 places
2020
#14,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,057
-74 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Up 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,064 | 2,150 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,105 | 2,131 | 0.72 | -19 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,041 places |
| 2020 | #14,026 | 2,057 | 0.69 | -74 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 79 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Wiltse surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,105 | #14,026 | 0.6% |
| Count | 2,131 | 2,057 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.69 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wiltse bearers went from 2,131 to 2,057 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,105 to #14,026.
FAQ
Wiltse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wiltse?
Name Census estimates that about 2,359 living Americans carry the surname Wiltse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 145,296 residents.
How common is Wiltse?
Wiltse ranks #14,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,057 people with the surname Wiltse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,359), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Wiltse.
Has Wiltse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wiltse went from 2,131 recorded bearers to 2,057. That is a decrease of 74 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,105 to #14,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Wiltse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wiltse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Wiltse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,853 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wiltse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Wiltse (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Wiltse mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "willow tree" in Old English, likely referring to someone who lived near willows. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Wiltse (0.69 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Wiltse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.